My 17-year old sister, Hope Murray, realized the power and potential of the Internet. She wrote a song for Taylor Swift, performed it in front of the entire high school and had her friends tape it.

The original goal was to grab the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. My sister hoped the famous talk show host would invite her on the show and present the “surprise” of a lifetime by inviting Taylor Swift to meet her adoring fan. Well, that never happened. And nothing came in the mail from Taylor Swift either. However, her video got thousands of hits on youtube, and Hope soon turned into a local celebrity. She had a full page article in the Wyoming County Press Examiner, which featured her performance and aspirations. She was also invited to speak and perform on the radio station 98.5 KRZ, which streams from Freeland to Avoca, Pennsylvania. They not only played her song the day of the interview, but many times after and she received numerous text messages from friends exclaiming that they just heard her song on the radio. Her local fame skyrocketed and Hope definitely claimed a name for herself at Tunkhannock Area High School. She may not have met her idol, but in the process she became somewhat idolized herself. All from posting a video on youtube.